1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to removing contaminants from substances, and specifically relates to removing contaminants from substances using a low surface tension solvent.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Undesired contaminants from manufacturing processes can remain in finished goods or intermediate goods. It can often be beneficial to remove these contaminants from the goods either before sale to an end customer or before a subsequent manufacturing operation. Two examples of these types of goods or substances are B10 powder and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fine powder resin.
Boron powder is used as a primary component of boron coatings in numerous applications. Such applications include boron coatings used for neutron detectors used for monitoring at national border portals, nuclear power plants, etc. Some of these applications are adversely affected by contaminants within the boron powder, as the contaminants can be detrimental to boron coating applications and can result in degraded boron coating properties.
Some manufacturing processes of PTFE leave residues on the surface of the PTFE. Some of these residues are surfactants used in the manufacturing process to increase the water resistance of the PTFE. It is often desirable to remove these residues from the PTFE fine powder resin either prior to a sale of the material to a consumer or prior to a subsequent manufacturing step.
Contaminated boron powder and contaminated PTFE can result in costly missteps in the manufacturing process. Some previous methods of treating contaminated substances include rinsing the substance with chemicals such as hexane, methylene chloride, and ethylene glycol, each in combination with filters and/or centrifuges. Other methods of removing contaminants include firing the substance to “burn-off” the contaminants. Therefore, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method of removing contaminants from the surfaces of substances.